Biotechnology

Where and when did biotechnology begin? Nearly 10,000 years ago, our ancestors were producing food and drinks by using fermentation, a natural process in which the biological activity of one-celled organisms plays a critical role. Then primitive farmers found that they could increase the yield of crops and improve the taste of vegetables by selecting seeds from particularly desirable plants. The possibilities for improving plants expanded as a result of Gregor Mendel‘s work in the middle of the 19th century.

Another major positive legacy of early 20th century biotechnology was the discovery by Alexander Fleming of penicillin (1928), an antibiotic derived from the mold Penicillium. Large-scale production of penicillin was achieved in the 1940s. However, the revolution in understanding the chemical basis of cell function that stemmed from the post-war emergence of molecular biology was still to come. It was this exciting phase of bioscience that led to the recent explosive development of biotechnology.

On this page, you will find the latest reports on Biotechnology from various contributors disseminated on the Internet as well as insights into new technologies and their future.